Wednesday, November 12, 2008

omg a college rant

So it's like 10:30pm and I'm sitting at Gleason [library] working on my lab report due next Thursday... [yeah only here because Enoch's is due tomorrow and wants advice on how not to fail labs]. I'm procrastinating the discussion cuz idk what to write so i'll just look at someone else's discussion...
Oh so the generic question "how's college?". Hmm... how should I answer this... ... College <<< LHS in level of difficulty right now but I'm sure I'm going to die next year since apparantly molecular genetics is harder here than orgo :( :( :(
I realized fairly recently the reason why this place is so easy and it's all in the conspiracy. They want you to think college is easy so when u come in, you don't really work and you're like yay play all day!! But then u get to next year and it's like omg work! and u start failing because of the study habits u develop freshman year and so u fail and be a failure and yeah. it's all a conspiracy in UR, but even knowing this... my study habits are still failing because i'm falling into their conspiracy. I'm going to need someone to like whack me a few times and make me study next year...
English is next semester... so i'll have more things to rant about... idk what english class to take yet, but hopefully it'll be interesting like creative writing was
Okay Enoch's leaving gleason... I think i'll head back and watch something or like sleep or play something... I'll rant some other day...

MY ADD POEM

lol at the ADD poem that didn't fail my English poetry project...

On the Dot of the “i” in the “internet explorer” Icon on my Computer’s Desktop

Below is just black ink
Above there is the blue “e”
For the Explorer of space
The extraterrestrials of the universe
The extraordinary elephants eating eagles
Elegantly
Efficiently
Exquisitely
Excellently
Entrancingly
Enormously
Enthusiastically
Evenly
Equally
An eventually ending enumeration of e’s
Engulfed by a ring
Of Saturn
The God of agriculture and harvest
Bringing destruction and devastation to the new harvest
Of potatoes
Of tomatoes
Of beets
Of carrots
Of brussel sprouts
Of eggplant
Of corn
Of squash
Of pumpkins
Used for the next Halloween in the month of October,
The month when trees throw away their leaves
And children catch them hoping to be safe during the winter
From diseases and evil spirits
That haunt the children every school night in their dreams
As do ghosts
Ghouls
Monsters
Witches
Mummies
Demons
Vampires
Zombies
Beasts
From Beauty and the Beast, with the candle
That lit up the room for a welcoming party
Welcoming the newly assassinated diplomat of Mongolia
To the realms of the underworld
Where people remain forever
Like the dean of a public school in Alabama
The teacher of International Relations in a nearby community college
The translator at a local hospital who learned more than ten different languages for his job
The ambassador of Zimbabwe
The flight attendant of Solomon Airlines
The general in World War II
The engineer that made the tank during the Battle of Midway
The mathematician who discovered the next digit of pi
The computer geek
Who spent his days in front of the screen
Clicking the internet explorer icon
At least twenty times a day
Also wondering what it would be like
To be on the dot of the “i” in the “internet explorer” icon
on his computer’s desktop.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

BIO CHP 3 - Enzymes and Energy

III. Enzymes and Energy

A. Introduction
-- thermodynamics - the study of energy transformations
-- enzymes - biological catalysts that facilitate reactions by lowering the necessary activation energy - energy needed to be absorbed by the reactants to break the bonds already in place

B. Structure and Function of Enzymes
-- Most enzymes are protein, though some RNA molecules have been found to have enzymatic activity.
-- The almost always large protein is folded so that the active site, where the substrate, or reactant, binds, is accessible.
-- "lock-and-key" theory/model - demonstrates how an enzyme interacts with its substrate: shape of active site matches the shape of the sunstrate exactly.
-- enzymes have specifity, meaning that one enzyme can catalyze only one reaction or a set of related reactions - it benefits the cell because it allows the cell to control different reactions independently by regulating the activity or quantity of the enzyme.
-- Enzymes can be used again, so they typically do not need to be made in large quantities.

BIO CHP 2 - Biological Molecules

II. Biological Molecules

A. Introduction [ugh... intros...]
-- The study of biochemistry - explores structure and function of molecules in living organisms
-- Organic molecules - molecules with the Carbon atom in it. [The only exception is carbon dioxide, CO2... go SAT II Bio book!]
-- Macromolecules - relatively large molecules [organic larger than inorganic... usually] and are usually polymers - molecules formed by adding smaller subunits - monomers. [so many definitions... except you should know all this already.]

B. Carbohydrates [yay carbs... I learned how to spell monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides from this outline :)]
-- Carbohydrates - named carbohydrates because it's mainly composed of Carbon and Water, usually in the formula of: [C(H2O)]n [<-- that bracket is not my comment but this is.]
- 1. Monosaccharides - simplest carbohydrate subunits found in nature. They're usually suit and known as "sugars" or "simple carbohydrates". Monosacharides are usually 6-Carbon compounds.
--- glucose - C6H12O6
--- fructose - C6H12O6
--- galactose - C6H12O6
[The general formulas are the same, but the bonds are different]
--- Important 5-Carbon sugars: ribose/deoxyribose [this should sound familiar, if not, you fail at bio :)] - C5H10O5/C5H10O4 [yes that's why it's deoxy-ribose]
- 2. Disacharides - Compose of two monosaccharides [di!] joined by a glycosidic bond. These are also fairly simple sugars.
--- sucrose - table sugar = fructose + glucoses
--- lactose - "milk sugar" = glucose + galactose
--- maltose - "malt sugar" = glucose + glucose
[must be broken down into monosaccharides before bonding]
3. Polysaccharides - composed of many, often hundreds, or monosaccharide units.
-- in nature, all the important polysaccharides are flucose polymers [yay go glucose], differing in their physical arrangement
--- Starch - energy storage in plants and one of the most consumed polysaccharides
--- Cellulose - makes up the cell wall of plants
--- Glycogen - "animal starch" - how animals store excess glucose in their livers and muscles as an energy reserve.

C. Lipids - macromolecules grouped together; lipids do not dissolve in water. They contain nonpolar covalent bonds, largely composed of hydrocarbon chains/rings
- 1. Triglycerides - composed of one molecule of trialcohol glycerol covalently attached to 3 fatty acids.
-- Chains containing double bonds are called unsaturated, the more unsaturated a fatty acid chain is, the more liquidy the triglyceride is. Oils are usually known as polyunsaturated triglycerides.


- 2. Phospholipids - They resemble triglycerides, but a hydrophilic molecule containing a phospate group is in place of one of the fatty acids, giving the molecule a hydrophobic tail and a hydrophilic head [aka amphipathic molecule - one philic, one phobic]. Phospholipids form structures of plasma membranes and can also act as emulsifying agents - agents that allow other lipids to dissolve more easily in the body.

- 3. Steroids - lipids that don't resemble triglycerides but are composed of a series of nonpolar rings. Cholestrol is the most wellknown and prevalent steroid compound in the body. Other important ones include sex hormones and vitamin D.


D. Proteins - polymeric macromolecules made up of subunits called animo acids, which differ by an "R" group.

FOUR LEVELS OF PROTEIN STRUCTURE:
- 1. Primary Structure: linear order of amino acids
- 2. Secondary Structure: hydrogen bonds between atoms of adjacent amino and acid groups. Common secondary structures: alpha-helix and beta-pleated sheets.
- 3. Tertiary Structure: ultimate 3D shape. It folds due to long range interactions between R-groups of amino acids: hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic interactions. Tertiary structure is responsible for the protein's function.
- 4. Quaternary Structure - not all proteins have a quaternary structure, only those that ave multiple polypeptide chains. Its folding refers to the interactions between multiple chains of amino acids to make a protein that can only function in this state.
-- Proteins also function as enzymes, antibodies, structural components, hormones... etc
-- Hemoglobin: help carries oxygen in blood
-- Collagen and Keratin - major components of hair, skin, and connective tissues
-- Insulin - hormone that regulates blood glucose levels [yay hormones! my fav subject]
-- Pepsin - enzyme that digests other proteins in the stomach, functions best in acidic places with pH between 1.5 - 2 [aka your stomache is acidic... in case you did not know that]

E. Nucleic Acids - macromolecular polymers made up of nucleotide subunits.
-- a nucleotide contains a 5-carbon sugar [yes this is when ribose and deoxyribose comes in handy :)], a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group.
-- Adenine [purine] - Thymine [pyrimidine]-->(Uracil [pyrimidine] in RNA}
-- Guanine [purine] - Cytosine [pyrimidine]
-- Nucleotides are joined to one another by phosphodiester bonds [a group of strong covalent bonds between the phosphorus atom in a phosphate group and two other molecules over two ester bonds --> go wikipedia].

BIO CHP 1 - INTRODUCTION

I'm gonna start reviewing bio and putting up random notes for my references :) while listening to my HSJ/7 music, which I finally figured out how to upload on my iPod. Hopefully I can get through at least a chapter a day and be done in a month, but knowing me, I'm probably going to do the first like 5-10 chapters today and not do it for a while >.<;.
[my comments will be in brackets...]

I. Introduction [this is like 7th grade review >.<]

A. Biology - the study of life, which includes examining the processes that govern how life is maintained and reproduced, and observing how living things interact with each other and their environments.
- 1. Two perspectives from which one can study biology: in vivo, or in vitro
--- in vivo - "done on the body itself"
--- in vitro - "in glass" experiments one in test tubes aka outside the body
[...experimenting on the person him/herself rather than stuffing the person into a testtube, then experimenting! I see the difference xD.]

B. Scientific Method!!
- 1. Asking questions!
- 2. Form hypothesis and make predictions!
- 3. Testing the hypothesis through experiments [yay this is when u get to blow up stuff]
- 4. Repeating investigations and devising new ways to further test the hypothesis (may include modifying the hypothesis)
- 5. Reporting results and drawing conclusions. [drawing is fun...]
Definition: theory - similar to hypothesis, but theory usually explains a broad range of related phenomena, not just one
Note: "There is no beginning and end in science." All hypothesis are based on previous experiments, and all results/conclusions and be further expanded! Sometimes, experiments might even raise more questions than they answer!

C. Characteristics of Life [What makes us living? aka how to prove to Mr. Waldeck that a candle is NOT alive.]

- 1. Order and Organization - All living things have nucleic acids as the storage mechanism for genetic information, and are made up of cells. [Yes candles are made up of cells... but ...I don't think they have DNA... poll on this?]
- 2. Growth and Development - all living things grow and develop during their life, aka grow into a more complex organism or increase size. [...I don't think candels grow but if you think about it, you can add wax onto it and it'll "grow"...]
- 3. Reproduction - This is sorta self-explanatory, but they must reproduce so their species can survive [candle reproduction = Mr. Waldeck cuts off a piece of the candle. Candles can reproduce! Which is why we still have them in our houses... in case the new technology called electricity fails, but then again we also have firewood...]
- 4. Energy metabolism - all living organisms need energy to survive. Those that make their own food are called autotrophs. All others are called heterotrophs. Nutrients are converted into energy [respiration!] and waste products have to be ELIMINATED. [Of course candles use energy... the fire~]
-- 5. Stimuli response and homeostasis - the ability to respond to the environment(internal or external environment). Organisms must adapt to their environments [naturally or what humans do: create their own environment: A/C!!] [Yes candles adapt to their environment very well. When it gets windy, it just blows out!]
-- 6. Evolution - The ability to change/mutate in order to create diversity!! [Azns, White ppl, etc.] [Yes as you can see, we have many different types of candles in our world.]

D. Structure and function
-- The correlation between the structure and its function is very important in biology! [that's basically what this part says......]

E. Using this book
-- "Remeber: the MCAT stresses your problem solving skills and your knowledge of basic biological concepts. Therefore, you will be better prepared for the test by understanding these concepts rather by just memorizing various facts and terms [lol. tis what Kyumin continuously yells at me for]..."

Friday, May 30, 2008

WHEEE

DONE WITH SCHOOL :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Earthquake and Cyclon -- Fund-raising

I'm sure all of you have heard about the earthquake in China, and the cyclone attack in Myanmar. If you haven't, read below. If you have, then you can skip the part below highlighted in yellow.

[Brief Summary provided by Kyumin Lee]

China: An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Sichuan province in China, leveling buildings, including schools. Due to the one-child policy, this meant that for many mothers, they have lost their only children. The death toll exceeded 10,000 dead, and is still climbing.

Myanmar: A cyclone struck Myanmar, affecting one of its poorest regions. Thousands died, and the military government has done little to help. The government also refused aid from foreign workers, but did accept monetary aid.

So some fund-raising ideas are [I basically wrote every fund-raising idea possible so we'd have more choices]:
-- Donations... [kinda boring]
-- Pocky [already done, fairly good profit]
-- Bake Sale [haven't really tried before]
-- Car Wash...?
-- Walk for China/Myanmar Crisis? [we'll need to find a sponsorer first though...]
-- Sell things like... wristbands/bracelets or even origami...?
-- Sell any random things... up for ideas?
-- Sell candy [like sports teams and French exchange]
-- Going to people's houses and talking to them about it and asking for money [though... a bit annoying]

If you have any other ideas please tell me/respond all and if you can, vote on a fundraising idea and I'll try to organize something with the help of others.
If you want to be taken off this email list, tell me too [but the poor people in China and Myanmar need you!.........]


Another idea that some people are interested in is having a fund-raising concert [more like classical music and formal-ish]. If anyone plays an instrument and is interested, please email back saying what instrument. I'll try to make this happen if we get more people interested in this. This idea is still in progress, and the concert won't be in the next two-three weeks, for sure. It'll probably be after school ends, or pretty close to around there [don't worry, it won't interfere with your finals]